A Day of Thankfulness...

Lately, I've been super sappy and sentimental. I've been trying to be thankful for all the little things in life and have been trying and seemingly failing working on being a better person.

I can't believe how hard it is.

I'll use a critical tone or be short with a loved one and as soon as I've done it, I know that I should have handled it differently.

Why is that?

(Please note that I am extremely sorry if I have done that to you)

I am thankful for many things in my life and most especially the people in it. But what's a struggle is being satisfied with the things you have, instead of focusing on the things that you want or think you'd rather have.

I'm trying a new strategy. Instead of thinking about the big picture, I want to appreciate each little moment. When I want to go out and find my next fun purchase (usually for the house) I'm going to look for bargains and remember to keep it simple and that I can do a little at a time. Somehow that seems to give me more satisfaction. (Which is a little ironic since I've always been about that whole instant gratification thing). Or if I'm having a conversation and I wish someone would've responded another way, I'm going to take a deep breath and be grateful that I have that person in my life.

When a day off doesn't go my way, I'm trying to not think about what I didn't get done. I'm trying to focus on the things I was able to do.

Life is short. Keep breathing. Learn to appreciate.

It's tough...but I'm working on it.

I had an enjoyable lunch date today, with a girlfriend that I rarely see. Bonus. I HAD planned on going home afterwards to spend a day at home, relaxing and working on some fun projects. Er...wrong! My husband came home from his fishing vaca a little early and decided to spend the day with me. I got nothing accomplished. BUT we did enjoy a day together. We hit up the antique mall, which is something we haven't done together in ages. And then (gulp) my husband got me to switch to an iPhone. (I have been an android user for the past 5 years...I'm a bit terrified that I've hopped on the iPhone bandwagon). And while I was frustrated that we spent 2 hours sitting at a cell phone store "wasting time", I realized once again...we were doing it together. And what better way to finish up the day than grabbing a pizza, sitting outside on our patio and reflecting on our day. All worth it. Enjoy the little things. Keep thinking positive. Appreciate.

So it takes a little work and a little bit of a mind set but it's totally possible.  Maybe the more I do it, the less work it will take to keep thinking about the glass being half full, rather than half empty.

That being said I have to say thanks to my cousin for spending the day with me on Sunday. I'm sure there are things that she would rather have been doing also, but instead, I convinced her to spend the whole day hitting up a flea market. Two hours driving each way and hours perusing booth after booth of antiques and jumbles of old stuff. I'm appreciative of her willingness to spend time with me. It made me feel good. That and our assortment of "loot". Nothing beats the feel of antique pieces gotten at a bargain. :)

"Loot: goods, especially private property,
taken from an enemy in war." Basically.
Have you ever been to a flea market???

Cousins. Also, flea market pickers.

Thank you to my friends and family for making me strive to be a better person. (And please continue to be patient with me). I hope that you all appreciate the little things in life. Enjoy the unexpected moments and remember: happiness is a choice.

Lastly, because my projects make me happy and sharing them makes me happy...and also because I promised...here are a couple sneak peaks at our bathroom and kitchen updates. The ones that I will do a little at at time. And not stress because they aren't done yet. :)

BATHROOM:

BEFORE

SO FAR...

 KITCHEN:

BEFORE: (after shelves went up)

SO FAR...one of my favorite spots.

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life.

See what I mean??? Sappy and sentimental.

 I praise God every day for the things I have in this life.  And I'm going to do my darndest to continue to do so.

Good night friends!

What the Heck Have I Been Up To???

While browsing some past posts I realized that I started a lot of projects and left you hanging. Some are so close to being done but just not where I wanted them yet. And since I'm a perfectionist it's hard to share them without them being totally complete.

But....there are a couple things I will share...

First off...I did start another furniture DIY update. And finished it.

It's AWESOME!!!

My husbands Great Aunt gave us an old desk, and while I didn't know what I was going to do with it at the time, I thought that it was worth hanging on to. (I may be in the beginning stages of the "keep everything" disease. It's a good think we have LOTS of storage.) I'm so glad that I did. I'm working on a room for myself, to spend time blogging and working on my Mary Kay business. A "woman cave" one could say. I discovered a desk on Pinterest and that has been my inspiration. I thought that I must have a desk like that. And now, thanks to some left over paint made into this DIY chalk paint and a few hours time, I do. It's pretty fabulous and I'm super proud of myself for pulling it off.

BEFORE. I may have gotten a little excited and forgot to
take a photo until after I sanded the top.

The desk was very used and abused. I'm still curious how old it is.

Are you ready for it? Can you stand it? Ah! It's so cool I can't stand it!

AFTER. My very own custom desk.

I distressed the edges and details throughout the desk.
I also kept the original desk handles.

Oh I just love the distressed look.

My stained and satin finish desktop. I kept it similar to the original color.

There are a million and one DIY posts on how to repaint furniture. So I'm not going to get into all that. However, I'm going to mention this: Chalk paint is awesome because you are not required to sand and prime. Bam! Amazing right? So I only had to sand the top that I was staining and I didn't worry about the nooks and crannies because I was OK with some dark edges. The rest of the desk got a very light sanding and cleaned up and then the painting began. It was actually done being painted in about 2 days. Then it was a matter of waxing and finishing the top. All in all, I'm pretty stoked that it only took me a week to do. You know, in between eating, sleeping and working.

Now that the desk is done, next on my list is painting and organizing my little room. My desk is patiently hanging out in the spare room until I get my butt in gear. There is just way too much to do and not enough time in a day!

Next up: Bathroom update and Kitchen update. But alas, it's bed time for this girl! You'll just have to wait another day! Can't wait to share some more with you!

Good night folks! 

My Fantasic 4th...

Be prepared: This is a post about nothing particular. Just a random, fun and hardworking weekend.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend! Work was closed for me this year (I wasn't nearly so fortunate last year) so I made sure to make the most of the time that I had. Unfortunately, I only got one day, as I still had to work on Saturday. But it sure was a great one day!

I think we may have started a new tradition, homemade breakfast with the parents. Whether it's on the 4th every year or we decide to do it every now and then is yet to be determined but it's definitely something that must happen again. I hurried home from doing the morning barn chores and did exactly as I promised (minus the apron). Windows were open, coffee was made and homemade biscuits were whipped up. We had bacon and eggs over easy (made in the bacon pan OF COURSE) along with my new favorite homemade biscuit recipe found here and my dad's peach coffeecake. And surprise, surprise, he made it from scratch and doesn't have a recipe!! And it was so yummy! I'm so sorry that I can't even share that with you. I can only tease you with the picture that I insisted on taking because it was so pretty.

Doesn't that make your mouth water?

And can I just say that I was really proud of myself for going with my gut and making these biscuit babies instead of just popping bread in the toaster? They. Were. Amazing. It took all my will power to not eat all of them (that...and I was faced with having to put a bikini on afterwards...)

My new go-to recipe. Mmmm...now I want one.

But hey! It was the 4th of July...time was a ticking. I only had one day off so there was much to do yet so little time! After biting the bullet, refusing to look in the mirror and putting on that dreaded swim suit after a stellar (but coma inducing) breakfast, it was time for some boating!

My husband and I spent the afternoon cruising on the boat with his family. I wised up and remembered to put sunscreen on upper body this time but didn't think my legs would need it as they seem to be resistant to sun. Not so much. I once again am sporting some fantastic tan lines, this time on the legs. I'll get smart one of these days....But oh, it was still so much fun!

I'm really glad that we took the time to put our projects and house diy's aside to spend a day just relaxing and laughing. Days off go much to fast and before you know it summer will be over. There's just something about the sun that is refreshing and brings out the kid in me. And for my husband...he was able to play with fireworks. Need I say more?

Husband with our 4 year old nephew.
He's learning to be co-pilot.

My husband is amazing.

Happy Independence Day!

I'm pretty amazing too...right??

Aren't we both so photogenic??... :)

Little boy...er...husband with fireworks.

We both had to work on Saturday so neither of us was able to make it long enough to watch the local fireworks. We were able to watch the multiple shows, however, on the drive home. Eh...you can't get everything you want.


To top off our weekend, we found out that hay was getting baled. I love my horses, I really do. But every year, at this time, I wish they could just feed themselves. Now, I really should remind myself of my days of stacking 3000 bales in the haymow. This was a piece of cake compared to that. But trying to find enough people to help these days is getting harder and harder. We're all busier these days and it's hard enough to put aside time for yourself, much less to spend it slaving away for someone else. I have to say a HUGE THANK YOU to our friends that came to help us out today. It was one of the best first crops I've had in a long time and we had a LOT of it. Also a bonus? It's the ONE time of the year I have to do this. Until next year friends....and sadly, I'm serious. None of you are fired. You're all, in fact, on the calendar for next year. No excuses. Got it?? :)

You're itchy and scratchy. I hate you.

We're doing this for you horses.
Pay attention...you hear?

After a full day of this, I have one thing to say. These horses are getting their butts back to work. Pronto. Enough rain already...we've got some getting-back-into-shape to do. No more Mr Mrs. Nice. Done-zo.

And now it's back to work tomorrow. Like I said...time off goes much too fast. But remember to enjoy every minute of every day. We're lucky to have it.

How was your weekend!? I'd love to hear!

Goodnight friends!

Inspired....

Lately I have been obsessed with HGTV shows. Most recently I've been "fixated" on (haha) Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gains. You can visit her blog here. She has really inspired me and gotten my creative juices flowing. I mentioned to my husband today that I would love to meet this woman. I really feel that she must be a truly sincere and thoughtful individual. Not to mention, she has awesome talent. Lately, after watching this show and reading her blog, I suddenly want to tackle all the projects that I've been nervous about starting and I have innovative ideas coming at me full speed. (Heck...I was even trying to help a friend figure out how to use a bee-house they found at a flea market in their home. It didn't pan out but still... ;)  )

I'm realizing that I don't have to have everyone approve of what we do or to be as excited as I am about what I envision. It just has to be a house that my husband and I love to be in and what makes it our home. What a refreshing thought.

A great example is that we are absolutely thrilled with how our bathroom is turning out. And while others may think it's a bit off the beaten path, we think it's pretty cool. And in the end, I know that it will still function the way we need it to. I'm not worried. We got this.

I'm a little behind but I've been wanting to share a few sneak peeks of our bathroom as it's coming along. So. In. Love. I do believe it's going to be my favorite room in the house. When you can't find me....look in the bathroom. I'll just be hanging out. Admiring the colors and textures. Patting myself on the back for making good choices (if I may say so myself). I'll let the husband know he did a pretty good job too.... :)

This is before we were able to shower.
Shower, paint and floor are complete.

Building our own vanity. A little peek.
Just wait until it's done!!!

Lousy phone photo but...TA DA!!
My striped wall.This doesn't do it justice!

Ahhh! I just can't wait to get things finished up. It's the fun part putting it all back together. We are getting closer and closer to having a real bathroom once again. And honestly, even though it took longer than we both had anticipated...it makes me want to tackle the next room. I think we make a good team and we're going to have a home that will reflect who we both are.

However, we ARE going to actually take time off and have a FUN day on Friday....Independence Day. I am doing my best to enjoy all my moments of time off this summer and to make them memorable. So a little family time is in order for the 4th. I'm excited about Friday morning because I offered to make a farm house style breakfast for my parents. I intend on making it legit...windows open, bacon frying, fresh bread and an apron (anyone want to loan me an apron???)  And then we're hoping to get some lake time in the afternoon. I see a day of R&R ahead....Cannot wait!

BUT...I do have to work tomorrow, so with that I better get to bed! Morning comes way to quickly!
What will you be doing this 4th of July???

Goodnight my friends!

Let's Take a Patio Break...

Happy Fathers day to all the dads out there and most especially, my dads!

With it being a special day and spending time with family, I wasn't able to get all the things checked off my list that I had planned on. However...we did actually tackle a spur of the moment DIY.

But first, I'm going to start at the very beginning...

A couple days ago, my husband brought home a couple of large wire spools. Somehow, some time ago, when I was speaking and mentioned (quite briefly) that I thought we should get our hands on a spool, my husband actually heard me. Whoa. Even I can't remember how long ago it was that I brought that subject up. But...TA DA! I have not one, but TWO spools. Sa-weeet!

Now back to today...

I was inspecting the spools and sharing my ideas when I had another AH HA!! moment. We found some patio chairs (today as a matter of fact) that we liked and we were debating about going a different route than the bistro set I had been hoping for, when I realized that one of our spools would be a great size outside table. But first it needed to be shortened. And since the other spool project I'm thinking about would also need to be tweaked we had to learn how to take it apart and put it back together. So why not tackle a DIY patio table at 6:30 on a Sunday night???

With a little trial and error we did it! And I think it will be perfect. It needs some stain and to be paired with new chairs but we are going to have a fun eclectic patio space! I'm super excited about it.

I'm still in shock that my husband thought to bring these spools home for me to get my hands on. I think he's finally figuring out that I like being creative with what may look like useless pieces and that I'm NOT nuts. A little strange maybe, but not nuts. :)

I'm crossing my fingers that we get our patio chairs this week and I can share my little piece of patio heaven! I have been dreaming of the day that I can sit in my chair on the patio, in front of my little farm house, holding my cup of coffee since the day I started reading all those Nicholas Sparks novels. Some times it's the little things in life!

Here is our patio space sans furniture...

And our little DIY patio table thus far...

Trying to put humpty dumpty the spool
back together again

LOVE the industrial look but it's
getting a little bit of a face lift yet.

Isn't it super cool!!??? EEK! I LOVE IT!! Stay tuned!

Self Challenge...

I want to start by thanking a friend for being supportive and giving me some encouraging advice. Amazing how just a few simple words can make a person feel empowered.

You're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about.

Most of you know that I decided to get into a little business called Mary Kay. I wear it, I love it; so I can honestly say I swear by it. But that's not the only reason that I got into it.

For starters, my whole life I have loved making people feel good. As a teenager, I didn't have a ton of self confidence until about my Junior/Senior year in high school. Over time, I have learned that confidence comes from accepting who you are and not constantly comparing yourself to a) a friend b) the girl you love to hate because she's so dang pretty and c) the unachievable model/actress glossy magazine photo's that have been photo-shopped to smithereens. Love your freckles, your beauty marks, your curves and/or lack of curves. You were made to be exactly who you are.

Example A) Teaching horse back riding lessons. This is a great form of confidence boosting to people of all ages but most especially children. You don't have to be tall, fast or beautiful to succeed at horse back riding. But the right form, the right skills and the right color combinations can make a statement that will make you one of the best. When you know you look good, you will ooze confidence.

Example B) Selling wedding gowns. It doesn't matter what shape a bride is, when she has found the right dress that makes her feel like the prettiest bride on earth, I have done my job. The right fit (to emphasize the assets), color and amount of bling will make a woman feel sexy, classy and gorgeous. When she feels all these things, she will be more excited about her big day and she isn't going to question who she is. When it comes to that special day, she knows exactly who she is and her confidence will make her shine.

Lastly, example C) Selling makeup. Whether a woman wears none or she looks like a showstopper, she still wants to feel beautiful. At the same time, she wants to look in a mirror and see herself. This is what I want to encourage. I do not want to create clones. Not everyone should wear the same eye color, or as much eye-liner, or any eye makeup for that matter. But, if a woman doesn't wear makeup, shouldn't her skin look dynamite?? And if a woman wants to wear makeup, shouldn't she be able to know what looks best on her without spending a fortune that she cannot return if she's not happy? Or what if a woman was never taught the best way to apply makeup? This is why I decided to sell Mary Kay. Because I (ME. Little ol' me...who had to teach myself how to wear it) get to help people look and feel spectacular. I'm not sure about some of you but when my skin is looking great I have confidence and when I'm having a stellar makeup day, I feel like a million bucks. This is what I want people to know: I'm starting my own MK business because I care. I think everyone deserves to feel fabulous and why not reflect how beautiful you are on the inside, on the outside as well. Nothing can accomplish more in this world than a woman with a smile.

But now here's something I'll bet you didn't know. I get scared. I am afraid of failure. I don't want to look like an idiot. Seriously. I have confidence in myself but yet, I let these things hold me back. Because I put so much pressure on myself to succeed that I'm worried that I won't do well right away. How foolish of me, right? I want to help people be confident and here I am worried that I might not be perfect. Well, this is where that friend opened my eyes. She said you have to start somewhere. And then she told me how she started wearing MK and I thought, wow. That was an easy and painless conversation. I can do that.

I don't want to be pushy. I don't want to be intimidating.

I want to be a girlfriend. I want to be fun and informative. I want to help spread confidence.

I can do this. I will do this.

So I'm giving myself a little challenge...

Starting today (well, it's 11:00 PM...so maybe tomorrow) I'm going to do one thing each day that will get me out of my comfort zone and help me achieve the success that I want. I'm going to put myself out there and see where it gets me. All my life I've wanted to be known for something I'm good at. I can't do this sitting on the sidelines.

"Success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives."

Thanks for listening friends. Wish me luck!

It's about Time...er...Tile...

It's day 14. Not that I'm counting....

Our shower is finally tiled! Now I realize that installing subway tile does take a little longer than larger tile....especially when you have to take it down and start over. But we won't go there. Nope.

And my husband had to go out of town for a couple days.

But in my mind I thought we would be further by now.

However, I AM aware that this is easy for me to say because I'm not the one actually doing the work. See, husband?...I can admit it. :)

But that doesn't mean I won't still be chomping on the bit, waiting. Waiting. Trying to be patient.

Mr T is currently working on puttying the drywall and sanding the layers. (Well, not currently as in right this minute. Right this minute he's watching the back of his eyelids. It's still light out and the birds are chirping. How one can fall asleep already baffles me.) But all this sanding is making our house an absolute mess. We have dust everywhere. I spent my entire Sunday off cleaning every inch of this house. (I'm feeling optimistic that he'll be sure to put a tarp up over the doorway when he sands next.) I will be especially glad when this step is complete.

Next up. Painting. And you'll all be happy to know that I did indeed get my paint colors picked! I'm pretty stoked to have it start looking like a real room. I've got some fun ideas that I want to do. I can't wait to share them!

This is way off topic but is anyone watching the Billboard Music Awards? Michael Jackson is performing. I'm not sure what just happened but it was kind of cool. And kind of weird. What did I just watch??? Huh. And I'm sure I'll get hate mail for this statement but they need to bring Luke Bryan back. He's going all GQ on us. I am no longer getting that "hey baby I'm a country man" vibe. Sorry ladies.

Uh..hum...anwaaaaays......

I'm thrilled to show off our fantastic shower (so far!) I'm being told that we should be able to shower by the end of the week. I'm crossing all my fingers and toes. Watching everything come together is so freaking cool.

Ta da! Isn't she a beaut!?

Enjoy this beautiful weather and rummage season! I'm going this weekend...first one of the season for this girl!

Thanks for reading friends!

Bathroom Renovation Day #3

We have a wall and a tub! Woot! Woot!

Once again the husband said he got everything done that he wanted to do today. My husband is very blessed that he has a great father who is willing to put aside his free time and come out to work for another 4 to 5 hours after a full day of working his day job. I don't know about him but I tend to forget just how much we have to do until we have a finished bathroom. Example: I forgot we...er... I have to paint. I kept thinking that once drywall was up we would just magically have a finished room. Whoops. There I go with that wishful thinking again.

Hit the rewind button.

I tend to fast forward through things. I already have a new bathroom rug, a really neat mirror and contemplating towel colors and wall fixtures.

I should probably think about paint.

Anyways...thankfully my wonderful hubs (I'm abbreviating here. I may be saying husband way too often) stays on task and knows what needs to be done next. Tomorrow he's hoping to get the whole room dry walled. I'm actually pretty excited about that. It will really start looking like a room!

Today, I was ecstatic to come home and find that the tub had been installed, a wall was framed in and dry wall was started.

SO thrilled that I had to get the camera out. Again. :)

Here is our bathroom thus far!

Working hard and thrilled to have their picture taken.

Our My Our soaker tub!

Wall for our shelves or closet, still undecided.

I love seeing progress! And since I've gone and started picking out the fun stuff, I thought I would at least share. What's the fun in shopping for things if no one can see them?!

The fabulous mirror that I scored an awesome deal on at TJ Maxx!

How about these lights? I am beyond excited for these. Are they not adorable?

Check back to see what the next couple of days bring us! I wish I could stay home and watch it all take place but sadly, I must continue going to work. Besides...I know how much my hubs would love to have me home and scrutinizing supervising helping him but I wouldn't want him to get too dependent on me...*cough, cough*

Goodnight everyone!

Bathroom Renovation DAY #1

First rule of thumb: never stay home sick on the first day of a renovation. That's tear everything out day. Or in other words, non-stop pounding and dusty as heck day. A few ibuprofen (to lessen the hammering headache...no pun intended...ok maybe a little), some HGTV and couch time and I managed to rest and relax as much as I could.

8 hours later we have a "clean" slate. It's amazing how much easier it is to envision things when you have a completely empty room. And also what you find when it's an old farm house. We've got some lovely new floor tile and the husband thinks there was a fire at one time. I wish the walls could talk!

Here are our Day #1 bathroom pics:

How about this for our new tile?

Where the shower was.

Where the sink and toilet used to be.

According to my husband he's right on track and got everything done that he wanted to today. Tomorrow he's tackling insulation and electric. I'm really glad that he's super handy. And I'm delighted that all I have to do is tell him where I want things. I'm hoping to kick this nasty cold so I can go shopping (which is what I really do best) and pick out some neat things for the bathroom. Not to mention I now have a very dusty house that needs cleaning. This is a terrible time to be sick. But as usual I have impeccable timing.  Here's to hoping for a better tomorrow!

Good night everyone!

Ready, Set, Reno!

It's here. The day we've been waiting for since we moved in.

The beginning of what will undoubtedly be a continuous couple weeks of cuss words, headaches and frustration.

Tomorrow is bathroom renovation day!

Even though I'm well aware that my husband and I are most likely in for a stressful undertaking, not being able to use our main bathroom and sharing a half bath, I'm excited to see the end result. That's right. HALF bath. No shower. We'll be showering at my parents place. Until it's done. No pressure to stay on schedule. At all.

Good Lord...I'd better stock up on wine.

The challenge for me will be keeping my mouth shut and not questioning my husband to death. I believe him to be totally capable, I really do. But I have this unnecessary need to know EVERYTHING that's going on and to understand every little thing. And I know it drives him crazy. But I'm just curious...

I'll just keep reminding myself to be patient and that he was very willing to let me pick everything out that I wanted in this bath. And he didn't ask questions. In fact, it may have been the very first time ever that he kept saying "whatever you want." Huh. He picked the biggest project we've worked on to let me make the decisions. This could be very important. It could make or break all of my future decision  making for all of our future ventures. Oh God.

There will definitely be wine in this house. Pronto.

* I am by no means a wine-o-holic or have any drinking addictions. It is a means of therapy. Simple, affordable, short term therapy.

I can't wait to see the progress throughout the week. Here's the before shots.

The bathroom housed the washer and dryer.

This is from the day we moved in.

Our gross, scuzzy shower. Ick.

The odd corner storage and random mirror.
Toilet is staying there but getting replaced.
Hoping to make it look a little less cramped.

Washer and dryer have moved downstairs. The
cupboards came down today. We have a good
sized bathroom!

The sink that lived in the corner. And isn't that
an awesome medicine cabinet and light fixture???

The husband is chomping at the bit. He had to get a head start by
hammering a hole in the wall. Boys...

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Have a wonderful week!